City Council Bills to Address Congestion, Parking in Bike Lanes, and Protected Bike Lanes, Advance

A number of bills were voted out of the City Council’s Streets & Services Committee today that address illegal parking behavior that contributes to congestion and allow new protected bike lanes to go forward.

First, there is BILL NO. 190467, which raises the fines for parking illegally in many different zones. For example, the fine for parking illegally in a No Stopping Zone rises from $50 to $75 and the fine for double parking rises from $50 to $100.

Five bills were voted out by the Streets & Services Committee that allow new bike lanes to be installed, as well. Many of these bills are just pieces of much larger projects, other ordinances for which were already passed. The below legislation is regarding JFK and Market Streets (final legislation to make those lanes permanent), 10th Street, and 2nd Street, which are up for protected bike lanes over the next two paving seasons.

Here are the bills that passed:

BILL NO. 190185 – JFK/Market between 15th & 20th Streets

BILL NO. 190355 – Richmond St., from Lewis to Berkshire

BILL NO. 190363 – North 10th Street, from Buttonwood Street to Callowhill Street, and on Columbus Boulevard from Dilworth Street to Swanson Street (see this blog for an explanation on why this bill is important for the full 10th St. corridor)

BILL NO. 190466, which raises the fee for contractors permits, was held up and did not pass through committee.

Update on BILL NO. 180950, which exempts the initial $500 fee for businesses that want to create a loading zone if they are located on a street with a bike lane. Council passed it on May 16th and is at the Mayor’s office, awaiting signature.

Resolution 190423 authorized the City Council’s Committee on Streets and Services to hold public hearings regarding accountability for the state of road surfaces in Philadelphia.

This is virtually all good news, and we’re excited to have seen these bills through so these streets can be made safer for all Philadelphians. A big thanks to the Office of Transportation, Infrastructure and Sustainability, who have worked with councilmembers, constituents, neighborhood organizations, and the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, to make all of this happen.

Sarah Clark Stuart

Author

Sarah’s foray into trail and bicycle advocacy began in 2004 when she became involved in the “Free Schuylkill River Park” campaign to preserve public access to the Schuylkill River Trail in Center City, now known as Schuylkill Banks. Since joining the Bicycle Coalition in 2006, she has been a key player in the Bicycle Coalition’s key accomplishments: the $23 million TIGER trail-building grant; naming and building out the Circuit; lobbying successfully for legislation mandating the inclusion of bike parking in new construction projects; Philadelphia’s Complete Streets policy; and coordinating research and analysis of several reports on bicycling in Philadelphia.